Confidence
by Dragon of the Black Rose
Summary: Snape has always been the best of his peers, but what could have dropped his grades? Headmaster Dumbledore decides to help the Slytherin genius. No slash. Just an idea I had stuck in my brain.


**I do not own the characters or original ideas from Harry Potter!**

**All I own is the original ideas from my crazy brain!**

**Enjoy!**

The potion surged over Severus Snape's arm as the cauldron exploded in purple slime. The slime burned like acid against his pale skin. The young fifth

year wizard drew back against the wood table behind him, hissing in pain and distress. He could only watch in horror as the dark cauldron burst forth with

extreme gusto, an image of total destruction. Severus scrambled for his wand located under his pants in his left sock. He pointed his wand at the cauldron

and shouted, "_Immobulus!" _

A blue light flashed over the bloody potion freezing the chemical reaction of the tiny purple volcano of Severus' doom. Severus sighed in frustration. He sat

on the table he bumped into originally and held his dark haired head in his hands. Severus Tobias Snape was making potions after class in the Potions

classroom to increase his skill…or just find the luck to make one successful potion. No matter how hard he tried or how much help he received from his

potions professor he could never get it right. Ever since his fifth year started five months ago, Snape has had the hardest time creating any potion. The last

four years had been a breeze, nothing to worry the prized student of Slytherin. Yet now in his fifth year, something wasn't fitting right…Every time he reached

for an ingredient his hand would shake. Every time he was called out a question by the professor he would stutter the right answer like a moron. _What has _

_happened to me?_ Severus wondered in his thoughts. _I was great at this, like everything other subject, but now…_

The sound of an old wood door opening snapped Snape from his thoughts. There stood Headmaster Dumbledore in all his bearded glory. His old dark eyes

held Snape's black young own gaze with a tender understanding. The young wizard felt his heart start to race. He tilted his chin up from where he sat,

crossing his long legs over one another. With a voice like torn silk Snape said, "Headmaster, what is that I can do for you?" Dumbledore seemed amused by

Severus' behavior and closed the door behind him. He wore a gray robe today with his usual hat (That always seemed strange to Snape that a man like

Dumbledore would wear). His albino wand was clearly visible from the pocket on his hip.

"I have come here," mused the Headmaster making his slow way to Snape, "to check on that terrible smell. It smells like death. Do you know what it could

be?" Snape crinkled his forehead at the older wizard before the smell hit him. It _did _smell like death, combined with rotten eggs, garbage and the Quidditch

team locker room. Severus gagged at the stench, nearly falling off the desk due to the odor filling his lungs. _I was so caught up in the potion I did __recognize _

_the stench! Ahh-! Ugh…So bad…Going to…throw up…_

Suddenly, the horrid odor was gone, completely and utterly gone. Snape looked up at the Headmaster with wide eyes as the old wizard chuckled deep in

his chest. "That spell, my boy, has saved my backside from many potion failures, like your own." He pointed at the frozen potion, much to Snape's

humiliation, and grinned broadly. "Was this a Strengthening Potion? I'd say it was closer to an acid concoction."

Ears turning red, Snape muttered, "Bloody old fool…"

"With amazing hearing for my age, don't you think?" finished Dumbledore, adoring the way the young wizard looked away stubbornly, cheeks a fiery red.

He had his way to Snape, still seated on the top of the table, and took his burnt wrist in his bony fingers. Severus hissed (Much like a snake to Dumbledore's

amusment). He tried to pull away, but the old git had some strength left in him. Taking out his wand, Dumbledore brought the tip to Snape's acid burnt arm.

With a slight flick of the wand, the burn was healed and gone leaving a giant hole on the student's robes.

Severus rubbed the recover pale flesh as Dumbledore examined the failed potion. He raised his silver eyebrows, tutted at times, even mumbled a "poor

boy". Turning towards Snape, Dumbledore said one word that would haunt Severus Snape all year long: "Confidence."

Severus was dumbstruck for a moment. He soon recovered with a sudden rage.

"What?"

"Confidence."

"How in the name of everything holy did I create a purple volcano with confidence?!"

"You lacked it."

Snape jerked back, the wood of the desk creaking under his weight. _He thinks I lack confidence? __That's absurd! I have never failed a class or have gotten a _

_grade below B+! I am confident! __Even if my mummy didn't write me back that time about my report card…or about my new pet __owl…o-or making new _

_friends…Does she even love me anymore…? _Snape gasped a breath. _That's it! The reason I haven't been doing well! Mum hasn't told me to do my best since _

_the __beginning of the year! I try every year has hard as I can about all my subjects because she __believes in me, that I can be the best…_

Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts. "By the way, Severus, this arrived yesterday. It was never properly delivered so I thought I would hold onto it when

I saw you next."

The Headmaster handed an envelope to Severus. His young eyes skimmed the address…_It's __Mum! Mummy wrote back!_

Snape would have screamed with excitement if not for Dumbledore still in the room. He was hanging in the door way, smiling gently at the fifth year student.

He turned to leave when a soft voice reached his ears.

"Excuse me, Headmaster…What do I do with this potion…?"

**Hello people! I'm Dragon of the Black Rose! This is my second fanfiction now! *insert grand orchestra here***

**I would really appreciate a comment from my reader! And also...SNAPE IS FREAKING ADORABLE AS A TEEN! **

**I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!**


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